Stroud District Council’s proposal to charge to park at Stroud’s main leisure centre could be in contravention of key plan aimed at keeping residents healthy and active.

Charges are going up by up to 100 per cent in some of the council’s car parks and it is considering bringing in charges where currently motorists park free-of-charge – including at Stratford Park Leisure Centre.

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The council has a health and wellbeing plan, which says Stratford Park Leisure Centre is ‘well used and held in high regard’ along with The Pulse gym and pool in Dursley – where there is no charge to park too.

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But after we reported on how the council was considering bringing in charges for Stratford Park and other free-of-charge car parks, Facebook users told us how that might hit their use of the park, leisure centre and nursery on the site.

The council has a 'vision to promote the health and wellbeing of our communities and work in partnership to deliver the public health agenda' and Stratford Park Leisure Centre plays an important role in that - the number of users has risen dramatically since the council switched to Spprts and Leisure Management Ltd to run it in 2011.

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Over the next year the council will be consulting on the possibility of charging in some of its other larger car parks, including at Dursley, Nailsworth, Stratford Park, Minchinhampton and Wotton-under-Edge.

A spokesman for Stroud District Council said of the apparent conflict with its health and wellbeing plan: “This is one of the factors that we will consider as part of the consultation."